Future of 500 Swimmers in Doubt as Swim School Faces Closure

An Ayrshire swim school has been left “high and dry” after learning it will lose access to its pools next month — leaving 500 swimmers a week, including hundreds of children with additional support needs, without lessons.

AquaSharks Swim School, founded by Susan Pollock, has operated for the past three years at Sandylands in North Ayrshire and Sundrum Castle in South Ayrshire. But Parkdean Resorts, which owns both pools, has decided not to keep them open over the winter, saying it is not financially viable.

Speaking exclusively to Ayrshire Daily News (ADN), Susan said she has done everything possible to keep the lessons running.

“We’ve been in business for three years hiring Sandylands pool in North Ayrshire and within the last year Sundrum Castle pool in South Ayrshire. Unfortunately, Parkdean Resorts (who own these pools) have decided it’s not a financially viable option to have us in over the winter months. I’ve tried everything to change their mind offering more money and fewer hire hours but it’s not an option,” she said.

“This now leaves 500 swimmers per week, and 15 staff with nowhere to learn to swim. At least 300 of these children and adults have additional support needs. We are a business that is going to go under through no fault of our own.”

What began as a small local swim school with just 40 students has grown into a lifeline for families across Ayrshire, known for its inclusive, hands-on teaching style.

“We teach differently from leisure centre lessons in the fact we are in the water with all students, encourage a learn-through-play approach and a lot of one-to-one learning,” Susan explained. “A lot of our children have varying additional support needs. These children need a quiet, calm environment where they can concentrate with little to no distractions. We pride ourselves on being inclusive to all children and adults.”

With Auchenharvie Pool currently closed for a major rebuild and limited facilities elsewhere, AquaSharks warns there will soon be nowhere for local families to access swimming lessons without travelling significant distances.

“We provide a vital service to these families in our community and with the temporary closure of Auchenharvie pool, there is nowhere for anyone in the Three Towns to access lessons now without having to travel. South Ayrshire has exactly the same problem,” Susan said. “I am reaching out to the public to help save our swim school.”

The heartfelt appeal has made waves online, with parents and residents rallying behind AquaSharks in hopes that a new pool can be found or the decision is u-turned before lessons are forced to stop and staff lose jobs.

A spokesperson for Sandylands and Sundrum Castle Holiday Parks said: “Our parks are closed to the public for four months over the winter period and, unfortunately, it isn't economically or environmentally viable to heat and staff the pools during this time. We're extremely keen to support local swim schools and have reached out to AquaSharks to try and continue to support them in 2026 when our pools reopen.”